the newcomer
by Bren Craig
Summary: 3 years after their graduation Ron and Hermione still have feelings for each other. But when someone unexpected arrives will it be for the better or the worse? Summary sucks, R


The darkness around the world got brighter and Hermione sprang forward felling her breaths getting shorter and shorter. _It was just a nightmare _she told herself getting out of the bed_ just a nightmare, its not going to come true you silly girl. _

The floor creaked as she paced around her room placing shaking hands through her un-kept hair. Her tired eyes looked into the nearby mirror and the shaking slowly stopped revealing her heavy breathing.

_Why?_ Why was she so scared her mind asked. Nothing was going to happen. She was safe inside the burrow with the Weaslys, Harry, and a select few from the Order. It had been that way all summer, the same nightmare and the same feeling of horror…every night. The situations becoming more realistic and the deaths more painful, the ending always being the worst part.

Hermione's heart ached as she started to think about how depressed the dreams had made me. And how utterly alone and guilty they made her feel. Every dreaming ending in the same torture, till she could not take it anymore and was then forced to wake up with cold sweat and deep breaths.

Harry and Ron spread across the dusty ground, eyes wide open. No rhythmic pattern of breathing came from their chests and it would hit her. _They were dead._

A beam of sunlight was now shining through the curtains to her room. Ginny stirred in her bed, groaning as the beams hit her too in the face, causing her to pull up the covers and turn so the sun was now upon her back.

Hermione calmed herself and turned to face the door as she heard footsteps from above and below signaling that it was breakfast time in the burrow. She released a heavy sigh and walked towards the door opening it to reveal a toddler with a pot and pan standing directly on the other side, a look of determination on her face.

"Micah, child what _are_ you doing?" She called to the girl as she began walking into the room. Micah was Bill and Fleur's first born child. She had flaming red curly hair that went down to her shoulders obviously from her father, but from her mother she took the eyes and the half veela. As well as being beautiful and acting like an angel, she had her weasly side and almost always got caught doing something that would make Fred and George proud. This seemed like one of those time.

"Run told me zat I could wake up, jinn-eeeee." The young almost 2 year old said as she tried to get further in the door struggling as Hermione held the back of her jumper. Hermione laughed at the attempt of the young girl to try and pronounce Ron and Ginny's names, but it was still hard for her at a young age.

"Ron told you this?" Hermione asked picking up the almost weightless girl, planting a huge kiss on her cheek and sitting her back down. "…then I guess you will just have to do what uncle Ron says now, wont you?"

Micah's face lit up in a smile and she turned to run into the room but not before hugging what she could of Hermione's legs. Calmly Hermione walked out of the room and slowly closed the door as the first pot came crashing down followed by a gut curling scream and more pots.

She casually walked down the stairs as if nothing had happened. She could hear the footsteps above her as she entered the kitchen. Ron, Harry, Fleur, Bill, Lupin, Tonks, and Mrs. Weasly were all sitting at the table looking at the ceiling as if trying to get an idea what was going on upstairs.

"vher is zat daughter of ourz bill?" Fleur asked looking around and under the table causing everyone else in turn to look except Ron and Hermione who each gave each other mischievous glances before he blushed and looked away.

A loud banging of feet came from the top of the stairs and soon Ginny could be seen holding the pots and pans in one hand and the grinning toddler in the other. Ginny looked, as Hermione thought, like a red lion ready to kill the next person that even spoke to her.

"WHO…let…her…in…my…room?" She asked dropping Micah off with Fleur, continuing to give hateful glances around the table.

"oh…don't be so harsh Gineeeeeey…mum said you had to get up anyway…thought I might have a little fun in doing it today." Ron said stroking his hair out of his face by blowing air out of his mouth. Hermione felt her heart skip a beat as she pretended to be reading the paper.

"RON…that IS it…you just wait until I wake up all the way…UGH…your going to wish you had never set that little devil on me!" Ginny half shouted in a threatening way as she looked to

Ron giving him glares. "no offense Bill and Fleur…" She finished before sitting down next to Tonks and swiping a piece of toast.

"Ginny put the pots away before you sit down." Mrs. Weasly said getting up to start on the dishes and get a new cup of tea going.

" _yeah Gineeeeeey put the pots away!" _Ron called as Ginny moodily got up only smirking at her brothers comment. As she turned around the table she wound up the pot and smacked it gently but hard at the same time against Ron's head.

"OWWWWWWWW! MUM GINNY HIT ME WITH THE POT!" Ron screamed standing up putting his hand to his head as she rushed around the table trying to catch Ginny as she laughed and sat down next to Lupin using him as a shield.

"Ron…if you are going to yell and run you might as well go outside we don't need that here!" Mrs. Weasly yelled grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him toward the back door. "and Ginny let go of Remus!" slowly she let go of Lupin and took her seat back next to Tonks finishing what she had of the toast.

Ron turned around and mumbled something about his mother always taking Ginny's side before he opened the back door walked through it and then slammed it to show his anger. Hermione finished her breakfast some minutes later and took to the opportunity to go out and talk to Ron. She excused herself while proceeding to the backdoor. She spotted Ron almost instantly near the Weasly's small lake throwing random stones and watching them make a ripple. Cautiously she walked down the back hill staring at him throwing the stones and again as it did at the table her heart fluttered.

In early years Hermione tried to ask herself why her heart would feel weak when she was with him or why she felt as if she had a million butterflies in her stomach just at the mere sight of Ron. It took her a while but she finally realized that she _loved_ Ron. She comprehended why and what good it would do her, but she found nothing. All she knew was that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the absolutely obnoxious, yet gorgeous red head.

But, nothing happened. Hermione did not tell her feelings to Ron, not ever. And she felt that, although her heart ached for him she would never get to just more than his other Best Friend. No matter how hard she told herself that he didn't love her and that it would never work, her heart still held a large place for him that she knew would never die.

Ron could feel eyes staring back at him as he threw the last of the surrounding pebbles into the lake stuffing his hands in his pockets. He turned around and saw Hermione coming down the hill looking at him. He blushed and returned his focus to the lake watching ducks swim on the farthest end of the lake.

"Hey Ron…you ok?" Hermione asked sitting on a nearby rock looking at the same ducks as Ron wishing she could just hold his hand and make the world feel a bit warmer.

"what? Oh…yeah im fine."

"Ron…I have to tell you something I've been keeping from you all summer…" Ron turned around and sat next to hermione on the large rock still looking at the ducks. He didn't say anything so Hermione continued talking. " All summer…I've been having dreams…well…more like nightmares. And I know its silly but I'm really starting to get scared. They have been getting more and more realistic each and every time. But…that's not the worst part…in the end of all of them…you and Harry…are….are dead…" a slow tear fell down her cheek. Ron reached over and using his thumb wiped the tear off her cheek.

"im not going anywhere Hermione…im staying right here with you and harry…and everyone else…if you have another one of these dreams…come talk to me…I don't care what time it is. Just come talk." He put a nervous arm around her shoulder and leaned her into his chest, thanking the gods that she didn't recoil.

As they sat there watching the slow sun coming into the world memories came into Ron's mind of him and Hermione. Ever since he was young he had known that Hermione would be _his_ girl, the one he would fall in love with. _love_ she said to himself_ was it really that?_ All the years he had spent with her, all the fights, and all the times he wished he could be more than just the best friend to her.

But that's how it was always going to be. Best friend Ronald Weasly. Fun to be around but never one to fall in love or to share a compassionate relationship with. He was also pretty sure she still hated him because of Lavender Brown in their sixth year. Every time he looked at her he wished he could take back everything, but his hopes stopped and his love grew more inside himself.

As they sat there watching the surrounding scenery for what seemed like an hour they missed the ongoing conversation that was going on between the Weasly parents.

"Arthur I don't understand. Why don't they just get together. He loves her…she loves him. it's a simple thing, its saddens me to see how hard they are making it"

"Molly do not rush love. It will come when they are ready. Just…let them be, they are young let them figure it out on their own."

"But Arthur-"

"But nothing Molly…we have known since they first meet that they would fall under the spell. Do not worry, love will find its way into their hearts if it already hasn't."

"It had better be soon…were in more danger now than ever Arthur and you know it…I just don't want to see both of them dead with broken hearts." Molly Weasly sat down at the table and drank her cup of tea. Arthur having had heard enough of the conversation kissed her on the cheek and disappeared off to work.

Outside Hermione sat in the same position that she had been since ron put his arm around her shoulder. Although she wished that the moment would never end she had to get up and tend to the chores that Mrs. Weasly set for them everyday. After some minutes ron got up and hermione followed as they walked up to the house to receive further instructions for the day.

Later that night everyone sat at the table eating and chatting to one another about the events of that day and what they were going to do tomorrow considering it was the weekend and usually they didn't have to do chores so they could spend the day doing anything they wanted. Hermione and Ginny were just talking about going to the fields and picking some flowers when the door knocked.

Mrs. Weasly got up and went to the door pressing her ear close to it to and asked for the password. Not another word came from the other side and Mrs. Weasly asked again but still there was no noise. Finally after another round of silence crying could be heard.

"Fleur…could you stop Micah…this is important!" Mrs. Weasly asked her ear still pressed up against the door.

"zorry molly…but mecah iz not crying." Fleur said and Mrs. Weasly looked back to see that it was true, in fact Micah seemed perfectly happy tapping her father with the fork and spoon she had across his arm. Mrs. Weasly's eyes scanned the room to see if everyone was accounted for.

"it's a baby Molly!" Tonks said jumping up to open the door. As she soon opened the door the whole room found it to be true as she returned with a bundle of cloth from which crying could be heard and squirming was seen. Tonks then took out a single parchment which was on the blanket and read it to herself as her eyes widened the room fell to an utter silence. Her hand went to her mouth as she passed the note over to Mrs. Weasly.

Mrs. Weasly looked the note over before looking up at Hermione and walking to her chair with a look of grief on her face as she handed the piece of parchment with a shaking hand to her. Hermione took the parchment and stared at it for a while before she realized that everyone was looking at her with curiosity. Cautiously she opened the note and read:

_Hermione Jane Granger_

_I can not tell you who I am. But I need your help. In this bundle is my son Daniel…please take care of him with all the love that I know you have in your heart. I am in danger and I feel that if I were to take my son with me he would die. Please raise him well._

_Thank You_

Hermione felt as if she was going to throw up. She was now the adoptive parent of a young child, so suddenly and so unexpectedly. She stood up the note still in her hand as she ran as fast as she could upstairs slamming the door. Not once looking at Daniel.


End file.
